Frustrations of getting the right part

[Loren]

My 49 Business Coupe is a joy, but it is also the cheapest Mopar you could buy (outside of the pickups....pickups used to be the lowest priced vehicles but not anymore).

I once had a Special Deluxe Two Door and it was a really nice car. You got a lot for your money with one of those.

The Coupe has me looking for Optional Seat Springs that you could have the dealer install. Didn't seem to need them with the Special Deluxe.

A Front Sway Bar.

A radio to complete the Wood Grained Dash which I find so stunning.

A clock to compliment the Radio.

That clock has become an issue.

On eBay I found three clocks from the same well known (not to be named) supplier. A used Dodge clock, a new-in-box Plymouth clock and a new-out-of-box Plymouth clock with some pieces missing.

I put a "Buy it now" purchase on the last one thinking I could find the light socket and save nearly $100. Yes clocks go for that much.

It was ten days before it shipped.

When it finally arrived, it was the used Dodge clock not the new Plymouth clock!

I dashed off an irate message to the supplier, which went unanswered.

I went to my post office for a new box, "Sorry we don't have those regional boxes, they have a special rate." To which I asked "If I recycle this box will you give me the same rate?" Yes was the answer.

I cleaned up the box and repacked the clock.

eBay has a "Return this item" button so after 24 hours of no response I clicked it.

There is a page that you print and take to the post office and they will print the return label. Easy right?

Once the label was printed the postmistress informed me "You can't use that box. This label is for first class not Priority"!!!

Back home for a plain brown wrapper box.

Well I finally got it off in the mail. 3 trips to the Post Office and considerable frustration. Plus when you return something you lose the ability to give bad feedback.

Now I went on a hunt for another clock.

I found two. One without a photo...no dice I learned my lesson. One with a photo, further away and slightly more money. "Buy-it-now" button pushed on Thursday. Friday I got a cheery message thanking me for my purchase and saying they will get it in the mail Monday....

It occurred to me that these folks are playing a great joke on me....they think I have plenty of time on my hands.....and I would if I had a damn clock!

[Tooljunkie]

Remember when we used to buy stuff in person? 
there were no shenanigans like that. 
thats why i try to refrain from buying stuff off ebay. 
for some of my later model projects i use the sellers on the forums,and only buy from people with a good reputation. 
 

good luck with the clock, i sure like the styling of the old dashboards. 

[Plymouthy Adams]

where is Emmett Lathrop Brown when you need him....

[Andydodge]

Loren...........not sure if you were around when I had the 41 Plymouth but with a name like Andrew Douglas I can't help to be desendent from some Scotish tightwads....so....I wanted a 1941 Plymouth clock...the only one that kept coming up on epay was around $800 US which made it about $1400 Australian at the time...I wanted the clock, not the rest of the car.....anyway I thought........I'll take a few screen dumps of the nice clock pictures and resize them, eventually got one the same size as the dash hole and glued it to a piece of clear plastic then inserted that into the reversed clock delete dash piece and installed my "new clock" in the dash.......looked great, kept perfect time.....well twice daily it did and only cost me a few minutes, time that my new clock kept .....sometimes...........lol...........don't have a pic and as I sold the car I've always wondered whether the new owner got the clock working properly....nah..I didn't tell him..........lol................andyd  

[BobT-47P15]

A few years ago I got real lucky at a local swap meet....found a pretty nice P15 clock in a box of assorted miscellaneous parts and the seller

said he wanted $15 for it.   So it sometimes pays to check boxes of "stuff" at swaps.   Otherwise, the NOS clocks offered on eBay have gotten

pretty pricey.   I like Andy's picture of a clock deal....pretty clever---and cheap.  Most people at a car show will look at your interior but will not

catch something like the phony clock.    And----you have to become familiar with just which clock fits the Plymouth as each brand of Mopar

back then had a very similar looking clock but they will not interchange.  

 

This is a P15 clock,,,,,,,,,,,,

 

This is a Chrysler clock.........

[chrysler1941]

.

 

Edited August 8, 2021 by chrysler1941

[Los_Control]

Times are a changing.

I think we are all old enough to remember Brick & mortar stores ... I apologize to the few that are young and do not know.

 

We are talking about ordering a part off of the internet ....  We are talking a Blessing & A curse.

 

A: we get more access to parts we never would have before the internet.

 

B: we get idiots to send us parts we did not want.

 

I love you Loren just as you are .... You deserve to vent.

Same time we all vent, but as friends your vent carries weight.

 

Same time I am the Arse that needs special mouth  filter protection ... Love to hear your rant @Loren

 

 

[desoto1939]

To educate byers on Ebay.  Ebay used to use PayPal to process your purchase and the seller would see th emoney in his payPal account ususally inthe same day as you made the purchase.

 

Ebay has basically gotten caught by the IRS.  Now to sell on ebay the seller has to have either a Business or Persoanl checking account setup no more paypal accounts are being used.  Ebay takes the transaction and selling fees out of the sale and then send you the seller an email sating what you will be getting sent to your account.  You can setup you account to have a daily updates but for most instances it takes a couple of days for ebay to officially put th emoney into your checking account.

 

So if I sell something and I have to wait for the check to hit my checking account the item is not getting shipped until I officially see the transaction post to my bank account.

 

I have to protect the item until I am officially paid and I am not sending something until you are paid.  So if you want somthing in a hurry then you will have to go to the sellers house and  make the transaction.  So understand the new process, it might take more days to get the item.

 

Also if you sell to much then ebay generates a 1099 statement and the money in your account is reported to the IRS.

 

 

Rich Hartung

Desoto1939@aol.com

 

[allbizz49]

My 49 coupe has a front sway bar. Was that optional? Mine is stripped as can be. Doesn't even have trim on the rear fenders. Weird that someone would buy a bare bones car and spring fot a sway bar if it is optional. 

[Sniper]

1 hour ago, desoto1939 said:

Ebay has basically gotten caught by the IRS.

 

Could you elaborate on that?  I wondered why they went to this more clunky setup.

[Loren]

1 hour ago, allbizz49 said:

My 49 coupe has a front sway bar. Was that optional? Mine is stripped as can be. Doesn't even have trim on the rear fenders. Weird that someone would buy a bare bones car and spring fot a sway bar if it is optional. 

 

Some previous owner (Lee Petty? Or a wannabe) must have put one on.

The body lean on mine is awful. I doubt someone took it off.

My Special Deluxe and my Suburban were fine but this one gets scary sometimes.

Happily it's an easy fix.

Once I get one I might make a heavier one, just because.

 

Another venting:

The previous owner replaced the exhaust system. However it has a leak at the manifold.

Who ever made the pipe put a cheap fits-all flange on it. The holes are slotted and too big for the bolts so it won't center over the outlet. The flange is also too thin of a gage to get it tight without warping like mad. So I am going to try thick washers with sleeves to center the bolts. I also have on order a Walker part which is a two piece repair flange that bolts together to seal a problem some GM cars have with leaks. One of these fixes has to work otherwise I will be making my own flange.

To get at the exhaust manifold you can remove a plate from the wheel well, which is a great design feature (if you know about it). While I am fighting the exhaust leak I decided to install my Vacuum Booster Fuel Pump for the windshield wipers. So it's all good.

 

[keithb7]

The whole ebay experience has certainly evolved. Like all the “good old days” stories, e-bay was so great 15 years ago.  Easy peasy and freight was cheap and fast.  Ahh the good old days. 

I have learned to get my car out and network. When you are passionate about your old car, it’s contagious. Used parts offerings begin to appear. Your Mopar contacts list grows. I have had very good success finding old flathead mopar folks who like to help me out. Passing along parts, or leads to parts my way. 
 

Just today at a car show. A guy sees my Chrysler. He informs me of a 1936 Desoto coupe that was parked in 1985. In a local person’s home garage. Never moved since. I have an address to go check it out. Indeed I will.  
 

Last week at a local car meet & greet in a mall parking lot I met a guy who just gutted a 1937 Dodge 4 dr sedan. He’s hot rodding it. Engine, clutch, tranny, driveshaft, suspension, steering, brakes and complete rear axle assy were offered to me.  Yowzers! Indeed I will sniff out that opportunity. Great spare parts! 
 

I am firmly convinced the old Mopar cars and good used parts are still out there, in decent numbers. You just gotta lure them out. Attract folks who have them. It takes time. It takes effort. It’s worth it. 
 

Ebay costs me money, dearly. Local finds, are where its at!
 

 

Edited August 8, 2021 by keithb7

[Bryan G]

So, so many things are available today that were considered unobtanium 30 years ago. They were there all along, but with no way to put buyer & seller together. I sell on eBay, just for fun these days, and have been buying quite a bit on there this year while I fix up my New Yorker. I've had very few sour experiences either as buyer or as seller, just the occasional flake just like you'd run into at a swap meet or anywhere else. Don't get me wrong, I'd prefer to buy in person. I love a good flea market but for various reasons have never made it to any of the really big meets. There are certain odd parts that I'm seeking and the only way I'll find them will either be at Carlisle/Hershey or they will pop up on eBay at some point. 

 

I have had some less than stellar experiences with my non-eBay purchases, like being sent the wrong part, or being sent a part that any car gal/guy would have realized was defective with a simple glance, or reproduction parts that were truly second rate (or worse.) I like the buyer protection that eBay offers. I'm not so crazy about it as a seller, of course! Usually it involves some cheap item that I sold with free shipping and then the buyer figures out he ordered the wrong part and wants his money back. Heck, I order wrong myself...and usually just stick the errant purchase up on a high shelf awaiting the day it might come in handy. Guess $10 is a bigger deal to some folks than others.

[Young Ed]

On 8/7/2021 at 6:59 PM, Sniper said:

 

Could you elaborate on that?  I wondered why they went to this more clunky setup.

Probably to save $ by handling the transaction themselves vs PayPal after the were forced to split off PayPal from ebay

[Loren]

An Update to the clock.

EBay informs me that the seller received my return and has refunded HALF of my money less a DEDUCTION of $38.

They asked if I wanted to open a case.

Damn right I do!

To recap the clock I bought was listed as “New out of box” with some pieces missing ( the lamp socket and the cable ).

The clock I got was used and not even the same style as the one in the listing.

I told eBay because of this I expected and demanded 100% refund as this is a case of fraud pure and simple.

 

I am very close to revealing the name of the seller to this forum.

They knew what they were doing because they have never responded to my original message about the switch in items.

Further they now have no clocks for sale....if they ever had the one I ordered, which I am beginning to doubt.

I would not buy from this supplier again even if they were the only source for a particular part ( which I believe they are in a couple of cases ).

Good customer service is not rocket science and pays big dividends in customer loyalty, swindling people does not.

 

[desoto1939]

On 8/8/2021 at 10:55 PM, Young Ed said:

Probably to save $ by handling the transaction themselves vs PayPal after the were forced to split off PayPal from ebay

Young Ed:  The govt caught up with Ebay basically.  They saw al of these sale items going on and no way to officially track the sales and th elose of taxation.  THye stopped using PayPal even thought PayPal was owned by Ebay.

 

So now you have to either have a Business or personal checking account to do business of selling on Ebay.  Afte setting up your account they verify the account is real.  You sell and item, they automatically take out the selling fees and other fees, Send the money to your checking account. They then send you a monthly accounting statement. If you have alot of sales a 1099 will be generated and sent to you and the IRS and reported as income.

 

Since the gov't is now spending more and more and the debit is increasing they want their money to fund all their special projects.

 

Here is another example a friend of mine takes the copper out of the selinoid that are used on the old pinball machines. He takes the copper to the junkyard.  They are now asking for his drivers license and he asked why, becasue they have to reprot the amount of money they paid him and if they pay him more that $600 during the year a PA and IRS 1099 is generated.

 

So hopefuly the good old contacts of people that have these old parts will only deal in cash and or personal or money order payments but as cash goes away then it will only be by Credit cards and the govt will get their hands into that option.

 

Hope this explains what is happening.

 

 

Rich HArtung

 

[Loren]

A final resolution

Ebay sent me an email this morning stating that THEY were refunding the rest of my money including the shipping costs.

Not a word from the seller. 

Sorry would have been nice.

 

When my daughter graduated from law school the guest speaker said one line that stuck with me.

”A reputation that takes years to build can be destroyed in an instant with a bad choice.”

Of course I knew the sentiment I just hadn’t heard it put into words.

Nobody ever remembers graduation speeches but I remember that line of that speech.

[kencombs]

Just to clarify the ebay thing:  They have been sending 1099 for sales for some time, long before the move away from Paypal.  I'm of the opinion that, since they sold Paypal, the cost to have them do the processing was more that the internal cost to handle the money transfer.  Expect them to move into offering credit also, just as Paypal now does.

 

Sales tax collection was a Federal mandate, due to a Supreme Court case, not for federal tax but state taxes. I really enjoyed not paying it on  eBay purchases, but the change leveled the playing field for local businesses and helps state and local budgets.   Income tax is a totally different thing, handled by the 1099 process.  That rule has been in place for years, as has the 600 buck is a figure.  It also requires any payment to non-business entity in excess of 600/yearly be reported.   Lots of casual labor wasn't (and still isn't) reported.  Lawn mowing by individuals not registered as a business for instance.  No income tax and no SS tax. 

[Young Ed]

1 hour ago, kencombs said:

Just to clarify the ebay thing:  They have been sending 1099 for sales for some time, long before the move away from Paypal.  I'm of the opinion that, since they sold Paypal, the cost to have them do the processing was more that the internal cost to handle the money transfer.  Expect them to move into offering credit also, just as Paypal now does.

 

Sales tax collection was a Federal mandate, due to a Supreme Court case, not for federal tax but state taxes. I really enjoyed not paying it on  eBay purchases, but the change leveled the playing field for local businesses and helps state and local budgets.   Income tax is a totally different thing, handled by the 1099 process.  That rule has been in place for years, as has the 600 buck is a figure.  It also requires any payment to non-business entity in excess of 600/yearly be reported.   Lots of casual labor wasn't (and still isn't) reported.  Lawn mowing by individuals not registered as a business for instance.  No income tax and no SS tax. 

Exactly ebay invested $ into the recent change to save and make $. With them collecting the payment and passing it directly to the seller they can collect their sellers cut instantly rather than monthly and if the seller opts for weekly payouts they get the use of your funds for that week. 

[Loren]

I finally got the new clock!

It came in the original MoPar box and it was so nice it was almost a shame to install it.

I got it in the dash and wired up, as soon as I put the battery cable back on I could hear the clunk of the winder.

You have to put your head near the clock to hear it ticking.

It was date stamped June 1949. I expected to have to have it cleaned but the company who sold it must have done that already.

It was expensive but very satisfying to hear it working and see it keeping proper time.

I was supplied by Instrument Services, Inc. 4075 Steele Drive Machesney Park, Il 61115 WWW.clocksandgauges.com (815) 316-2921

I think they deserve a shout out from a very happy customer!

[Sniper]

Well, thanks. I just went down the rabbit hole looking at clocks.  Found one for my 51, $460.00.  Err, no.  But I also found the entire dash assembly, with clock and radio for $300 delivered.

 

Uhm, thanks?

[Bryan G]

I pulled the clock out of my 49 the other day; I've brought a few back to life with just cleaning the points and some oil. Well, this thing is a different animal! Made by the Jaeger Watch Company, as far as I can see it doesn't use points at all, just a wheel that spins back and forth in reaction to an electromagnet. It would work but has a couple bushings either totally worn out or missing. Guess I'll be sending it off to someone for rebuilding. I need to do some further research because I find the mechanism very interesting, and seemingly ahead of its time. There must be a reason it didn't catch on; maybe it doesn't keep accurate time, or draws too much current? 

[Loren]

There's a non-working Jaeger on eBay for $200.

You might give Instrument Services a call.

The one I got from them is a Berg.

Who knew a clock could be so expensive that one that doesn't work is worth $200?

I have more money in that clock than I do the radio....if only the radio worked as well.

[wagoneer]

On 8/13/2021 at 7:54 PM, Sniper said:

Well, thanks. I just went down the rabbit hole looking at clocks.  Found one for my 51, $460.00.  Err, no.  But I also found the entire dash assembly, with clock and radio for $300 delivered.

 

Uhm, thanks?

Thank you @Loren for also piquing my interest in reviving my non-working clock. I too will enjoy this inexpensive jaunt into horological restoration. 
 

Amazing how many NOS items are still out there! Just think people kept those around on shelves or warehouses for 72 years just waiting for you to call them and order ! 
 

I’m  blown away how big the market is for DCDP parts that we have so many vendors selling NOS and new parts 75+ years later.

[Loren]

Please be careful!

I see the clock I sent back is already on eBay again along with the one I actually paid for.

Still no apology or other communication.

I too am interested in Sniper's find. An instrument cluster a radio and a clock plus the rest of the dash for $300 delivered. Bravo!

I think I'd be having it Hydro Graphic printed with wood grain with the savings.